A subject I find interesting is ubiquitous computing or everyware. I think that students are already invloved being immersed in technology and that education needs to find creating ways to educate students with an attention span of 7 minutes. --src
Free Conference Systems for Course Collaboration
Skype (www.skype.com) - a free-but-proprietary application for on-demand audio or video conferencing. A free account is needed. --srg MeBeam (www.mebeam.com) - a newer Web-based system for on-demand audio or video conferencing. No account is needed for the Flash-based system. MeBeam may accommodate up to 16 separate video sites. --srg WiZiQ (www.wiziq.com)- a free, Flash-based system for on-demand, scheduled, or recorded/archived audio or video conferencing. A free account is needed. The system is very similar to Elluminate with a whiteboard, presentation system, participant list, multi-point audio, and at least one-way video. They are actively recruiting teachers to create brief lessons for pay. The site also has a way link members across the world who have similar interests. --srg
Examples of Tools for Online Learning (especially Free or Open Source) CmapTools (cmap.ihmc.com) - You already know about CmapTools, but here's the NASA Moon Mission planning maps used for the Spirit & Opportunity misssion. Pick a high-level map like the Introduction. Then navigate through some of the linked Cmaps to see how NASA used Cmap to build a network of knowledge and links to resources: http://cmex.ihmc.us/cmex/table.html -- srg ****e-Learning**** (http://youtube.com/watch?v=GX94ws03o3o&feature=related) - A brief YouTube video of the tremendous variety and the ePedagogy of an online music instructor in New Foundland, Canada. I think you'll like it! --srg
Current Articles/Studies
How Learning Theory and the Scientific Method may be changing. Here's an article from the new Wired magazine discussing the decreasing role of theory in science. It's a short article but it deals with a really critical idea. The article is titled The End of Theory: The Data Deluge Makes the Scientific Method Obsolete. Here's the link:
--srghttp://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/magazine/16-07/pb_theory
**Most virtual worlds fail as business ventures.** Explore what really matters. Only 1 in 10 virtual worlds succeed because there need to be goals and objectives. The article stresses that it's the relationships rather than the technology that matter, and that most businesses will eventually have virtual worlds as part of their Internet persona. Read the full article here. -- srg
Connexions from Rice University: an Open Content model of future education: a TED presentation by Rice professor Dr. Rich Baraniuk. It's an interesting view of the future of online learning opportunities. http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/25 -- srg A study by the Hoover Institute, a think tank at Stanford University, predicts that 50% of courses in Grades 9 to 12 will be delivered online by 2019. The link below is to a story on the report published in the Christian Science Monitor yesterday. It was also picked up by the AASA Daily News. According to the North American Council for Online Learning, enrollment in online courses reached 1 million last year. http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0514/p03s08-usgn.html - cas
Here's the full article from the Hoover Institute's Education Next journal by Christensen & Horn. It advertises the major book that will be released this summer that posits distance education as the disruptive technology that will finally bring transformative change to schools. --srg
I appreciated the authors example of Netflix, specifically how a mouse hover offers reviews and tips for a product and how this type of "ranking" may work for education. This past semester I was shown several sources where students rate faculty in a similar way. One site was something like "how hot is your teacher" that rated instructors by looks and another listed items like amount of homework, easy testing, allows late work, etc. I'm not quite so sure I like this. --src
EsnTV Tech Watch for July 2008--interesting news regarding limiting and charging more for internet services, computer video game project to teach students how the U.S. legal system works FREE of charge beginning this fall.http://www.eschoolnews.tv/ -- dkp
Links to web resources on Distance Learning and ePedagogy
(Let's try to keep this organized as we add to the list. Please add your initials so we know who posted what)Organizational Resources
EDUCAUSE - is a group that I have been involved with for some time, they are the organization that now administrates the .edu top level domain and are the largest group of higher education IT professionals. There are some great resourses on their main website including this Guide to Blogging: [[http://www.educause.edu/eli/GuideToBlogging/13552%3C/span%3E%3Cspan|http://www.educause.edu/eli/GuideToBlogging/13552<span]] --src
A subject I find interesting is ubiquitous computing or everyware. I think that students are already invloved being immersed in technology and that education needs to find creating ways to educate students with an attention span of 7 minutes. --src
Free Conference Systems for Course Collaboration
Skype (www.skype.com) - a free-but-proprietary application for on-demand audio or video conferencing. A free account is needed. --srg
MeBeam (www.mebeam.com) - a newer Web-based system for on-demand audio or video conferencing. No account is needed for the Flash-based system. MeBeam may accommodate up to 16 separate video sites. --srg
WiZiQ (www.wiziq.com)- a free, Flash-based system for on-demand, scheduled, or recorded/archived audio or video conferencing. A free account is needed. The system is very similar to Elluminate with a whiteboard, presentation system, participant list, multi-point audio, and at least one-way video. They are actively recruiting teachers to create brief lessons for pay. The site also has a way link members across the world who have similar interests. --srg
Examples of Tools for Online Learning (especially Free or Open Source)
CmapTools (cmap.ihmc.com) - You already know about CmapTools, but here's the NASA Moon Mission planning maps used for the Spirit & Opportunity misssion. Pick a high-level map like the Introduction. Then navigate through some of the linked Cmaps to see how NASA used Cmap to build a network of knowledge and links to resources: http://cmex.ihmc.us/cmex/table.html -- srg
****e-Learning**** (http://youtube.com/watch?v=GX94ws03o3o&feature=related) - A brief YouTube video of the tremendous variety and the ePedagogy of an online music instructor in New Foundland, Canada. I think you'll like it! --srg
Current Articles/Studies
How Learning Theory and the Scientific Method may be changing.
Here's an article from the new Wired magazine discussing the decreasing role of theory in science. It's a short article but it deals with a really critical idea. The article is titled The End of Theory: The Data Deluge Makes the Scientific Method Obsolete. Here's the link:
--srg http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/magazine/16-07/pb_theory
**Most virtual worlds fail as business ventures.** Explore what really matters. Only 1 in 10 virtual worlds succeed because there need to be goals and objectives. The article stresses that it's the relationships rather than the technology that matter, and that most businesses will eventually have virtual worlds as part of their Internet persona. Read the full article here. -- srg
Connexions from Rice University: an Open Content model of future education: a TED presentation by Rice professor Dr. Rich Baraniuk. It's an interesting view of the future of online learning opportunities. http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/25 -- srg
A study by the Hoover Institute, a think tank at Stanford University, predicts that 50% of courses in Grades 9 to 12 will be delivered online by 2019. The link below is to a story on the report published in the Christian Science Monitor yesterday. It was also picked up by the AASA Daily News. According to the North American Council for Online Learning, enrollment in online courses reached 1 million last year.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0514/p03s08-usgn.html - cas
Here's the full article from the Hoover Institute's Education Next journal by Christensen & Horn. It advertises the major book that will be released this summer that posits distance education as the disruptive technology that will finally bring transformative change to schools. --srg
I appreciated the authors example of Netflix, specifically how a mouse hover offers reviews and tips for a product and how this type of "ranking" may work for education. This past semester I was shown several sources where students rate faculty in a similar way. One site was something like "how hot is your teacher" that rated instructors by looks and another listed items like amount of homework, easy testing, allows late work, etc. I'm not quite so sure I like this. --src
eSchool News Articles
Study Abroad through Second Life: Ohio University’s virtual campus in Second Life has drawn online visitors from around the world.
[[http://features.csmonitor.com/innovation/2008/07/02/study-abroad-through-second-life/%3C/span%3E%3Cspan|http://features.csmonitor.com/innovation/2008/07/02/study-abroad-through-second-life/<span]] -- dkp
High Cost of Driving Ignites Online Classes Boom: With fuel prices continuing to rise, college students are looking for ways to elliminate trips to campus. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/11/education/11colleges.html?ex=1216440000&en=29f5b14fe3211c7f&ei=5070&emc=eta1 -- dkp
Google Ventures into Virtual Reality with 'Lively' http://www.technologyreview.com/Wire/21055/?nlid=1196&a=f
How do we transform our schools? Use technologies that compete against nothing--by Clayton M. Christensen and Michael B. Hornhttp://www.hoover.org/publications/ednext/18575969.html
Videos
e-Learning (http://youtube.com/watch?v=GX94ws03o3o&feature=related)]]EsnTV Tech Watch for July 2008--interesting news regarding limiting and charging more for internet services, computer video game project to teach students how the U.S. legal system works FREE of charge beginning this fall.http://www.eschoolnews.tv/ -- dkp